Writing a targeted resume

If you have ever come across a job posting and wondered how to write a targeted resume for the job, try this approach:

1. Copy the job posting into a Microsoft Word document.

2. Go through the job posting and using the highlight function in MS Word, highlight the key words and phrases in the job description. You make think that the entire job posting is important but actually, there are some key aspects to the job that are more important than others.

3. For each significant aspect of the job, write 1-2 sentences in the same Word document of how you have achieved that in your previous work experience, education, etc. I shall call these "previous experience examples".

4. Open your resume and save a copy of the resume specifically for customization.

5. Take the highlighted key words and ensure that they are included in your resume in a truthful manner and in a way that makes sense to a reader.

6. Moreover, try to include your "previous experience examples" in a concise form somewhere in the resume. They might appear in the career profile or work experience sections of your resume.

7. Check spelling, grammar and formatting of the resume.

8. Tada! You now have a customized resume for the job posting.

Once you do this exercise for a few jobs , you will become more comfortable and skilled at writing customized resumes targeted for specific positions.